


To Stay Clean, To Fix It All

by DefaltManifesto



Series: Memories Will Last With Our Healing Scars [1]
Category: Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Asperger Syndrome, Bonding, Canon Character of Color, Friendship, Gen, Past Abuse, Pre-Slash, Racism, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefaltManifesto/pseuds/DefaltManifesto
Summary: Marcus has always gone above and beyond - he can't help it.





	To Stay Clean, To Fix It All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scepticallyopenminded](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scepticallyopenminded/gifts).



> This is the beginning of a series I'm planning on doing, centered around Marcus' relationships with everyone in Dedsec. It's probably going to be a poly series, but I'm not sure yet. More info when I post part 2. For those of you reading my InFamous series, don't worry! I'm still working on that :)
> 
> Comments are loved!
> 
> Title from Glow by Mr. Kitty
> 
> Gift fic for the best friend.

[The tumblr](http://defaltmanifesto.tumblr.com)

 

Marcus does his homework after he meets the whole crew. He researches the effect of easily excelling on a person’s psyche and what having constant high expectations from one’s parents does to understand Sitara. He looks into issues of self-esteem and body dysphoria for Wrench and how Asperger’s effects social interactions for Josh. Horatio he mostly understands, but the difference is Horatio got out of poverty with a nice job and Marcus got out with hacking. He reads up on the specific micro-aggressions and harassment Horatio undoubtedly experiences working for Nudle.

It’s almost like stalking. He feels a little weird, almost like he’s reducing his new friends to their struggles, but that’s not quite it either. He just wants to understand and be the best friend he can be. In a world that’s excluded them all, they can only count on each other to really learn about one another’s struggles.

More than any of them, it’s Sitara that hides. Horatio is quiet but when Marcus asks him how he feels about shit at work of the world in general, he talks. He gives out his opinions in an unfiltered, no bullshit way. Wrench says a lot to hide that he’s saying nothing and Josh always says what he’s thinking because no one in their group makes him feel wrong for saying things at the ‘wrong’ time. But Sitara…Sitara knows just the right thing to say to make everyone happy. It’s what makes digging and getting to really know her so hard.

 

-.-

 

It isn’t until Marcus drags Horatio’s bruised and beaten body back from Oakland and the house the Tezcas almost killed him in that he gets to know her more. They sit at his hospital bed side by side. Josh is back in the hacker-space, and Wrench is on periodic runs for coffee and food. Marcus can’t stop staring at Horatio’s face.

"Boy needs to learn how to fight better,” Marcus says.

“It’s not his fault, even you would have gotten your ass kicked,” she says. She sounds tired and when Marcus looks at her, there are tears streaming down her face but she doesn’t seem to notice them.

“Yeah, I know. I just wish there was something we could’ve done to stop it,” Marcus says. He reaches out to wipe her tears away but she lashes out and catches his wrist before he gets close.

“Leave it,” she says. “I’ll wipe them when I’m done.”

"Can’t hurt to do it now though, right?”

"My body is weird,” she says, letting go of his wrist. “If I draw attention to it, rub my eyes, it’ll stop. My body remembers to suck it up and stop crying. But I need to this time.”

Marcus doesn’t get it, not really. People always told him a man keeps his emotions close and locked away, but once he started displaying interest in school it was like being written off as a know it all. If he cried, it was because he was a nerd and Marcus was proud of that. In his head, crying had become a badge of honor, because if the idiots beat him up for it then he was doing something right. With Sitara, it’s different. He doesn’t know why, but it is.

Someone must’ve told her that crying was bad, so bad her body didn’t know how anymore. He’ll ask one day. Now though…now is the time to make sure Horatio heals and they avenge the damage done to him. And Marcus is going to deal a lot of fucking damage.

 

-.-

 

Marcus has never enjoyed killing. Taking the Tezca's leader down is god damn euphoric.

 

-.-

 

Wrench is predictable. Wrench is every insecure, white kid Marcus had ever met. He blusters and pretends to be weird to throw people off and Marcus sees right through it and knows it’s just a test. It’s a test he’s used plenty of times. Can they stand how out there he is? The answer is usually no, but Wrench’s test is on a whole other level.

For one, it’s a constant test. Just when Marcus thinks he’s won Wrench over, he’ll throw out a comment that makes Marcus do a double take and Wrench’s eyes turn into equal signs and he’s back to square one. It isn’t until he climbs onto the parking garage roof and hands Wrench his mask that he sees it all click home. Marcus meant it when he said he’d take on an FBI unit on his own to get it back, and he’ll do it again or more or if meant repairing some of the damage they’d done.

On one hand, he can see why Wrench hides his face. The scar is part of it, but between the hooked nose and thin lips, he doesn’t exactly fit the conventional standards of beauty. Still, Marcus wants to punch anyone who made him want to hide. He likes looking at Wrench’s face. He drinks it in but doesn’t try and stop him when he puts the mask on. Part of him wants to of course, but he knows from experience that pressure just makes shit worse.

Healing will come from Wrench, but Marcus will be there to help.

 

-.-

 

Josh reaches out to him first, before Marcus has a chance to reach out to him, quite literally. They’re on the couch watching a Johnny Siska classic at Marcus’ insistence after Josh’s brilliant manipulation of Lenni. Josh’s hand suddenly entwines with his, clammy and cold. He barely stops himself from jumping. He’s been so careful about making sure to respect Josh’s personal space that he didn’t consider that maybe, Josh would decide he was okay to touch.

“I’m sorry, should I not?” Josh asks, eyes on his lap.

“No you’re cool man,” Marcus says.

“It’s just usually this is a display of a desire to have a relationship or sex, so I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Josh says.

“So that’s not what this is?”

“I don’t think so,” Josh says. “I’ll let you know if it changes. Is that okay?”

“Sure man,” Marcus says.

By the end of the movie, Josh’s hand is warm and he’s leaning into Marcus’ side. He’s never seen Josh so relaxes. He’s starting to wonder if maybe some of the things he’d read had been wrong though, that maybe it’s not so much that touch that bothers him, but that no one ever asks first.

 

-.-

 

Horatio recovers slowly. By the time they expose Dusan for what he is, he’s been released from the hospital but he spends most his time at home with his parents recovering even though it’s the last place he wants to be. His left leg is broken and he doesn’t like being on crutches so he sits a lot. Marcus visits often and they curl up together in the couch and game.

“I should be doing more,” Horatio says. “Not just this.”

“Dude,” Marcus starts. He stops long enough to get a complicated button combo off to knock Horatio’s Link off the stage. “You’ve done more than enough for us. Taking a break and getting healthy isn’t a waste of time.”

“Says the guy out on the street punching government goons in the face,” Horatio says as he respawns on the screen.

“That part isn’t all that fun,” Marcus says.

“Yeah but you’re not the guy that sits back as let’s other people get their hands dirty,” Horatio says.

“Maybe not but I’m not smart like you,” Marcus says. “I don’t see the whole picture. I charge in guns blazing to an FBI hide out for a friend’s mask, which is totally justified but there was a smarter way to do it. We need you. We’ll be ready and waiting when you come back.”

Horatio pauses the game and turns back towards him. “Thanks. But what about you?”

Marcus frowns. “What about me?”

Horatio raises an eyebrow. “You put all this work into taking care of all of us. You come here and give me pep talks, and don’t think I haven’t noticed how attentive you are to Josh and everyone else. Who takes care of you?”

“I…” Marcus leans back on the couch. “Shit.”

Horatio sets his controller down and tugs Marcus into a one-armed hug. “I got you, don’t worry.”

Marcus turns his face into Horatio’s neck and lets his arm come up to embrace him in return. “Thanks.”


End file.
